A brief weekend away visiting my new favorite baby in the world (bookended with no-wi-fi plane rides and uninterrupted research) almost feels like a dream now. Whenever I travel I am renewed, sharpened, more grateful. It is a reminder to invest in travel first and things second.

I voraciously read the Times' Book Review because I know I will never get to read "all of the books." Also, I adore the form of cultural criticism itself — art as a lens through which we see the world. Make no mistake, Andrew Sullivan in last week's issue wants you to know how he sees the world (or at least, America): "You can impeach a president, but you can’t, alas, impeach the people."